Flap Your Lips Friday
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 17th, 2013
Good morning.
I have been told many stories of late, of horrific things that we all know about, that have happened in our past, here in the U.S. and all around the world. And as much as I would like to believe that men have changed, I am proven wrong every time when I read the news.
This write came across my plate. When sick acts of assault and rape that happened during World war II is now currently looked at as a “necessity” for the soldiers to keep them in line…to “maintain discipline”…that just tells me that this is acceptable behavior to men and that this has the potential to happen again. It is once again truly sickening.
Toru Hashimoto, Osaka Mayor, Says Forced Prostitution Of Asian Women During World War II Was Necessary
TOKYO — An outspoken nationalist mayor said the Japanese military’s forced prostitution of Asian women before and during World War II was necessary to “maintain discipline” in the ranks and provide rest for soldiers who risked their lives in battle.
The comments made Monday are already raising ire in neighboring countries that bore the brunt of Japan’s wartime aggression and have long complained that Japan has failed to fully atone for wartime atrocities.
Toru Hashimoto, the young, brash mayor of Osaka who is co-leader of an emerging conservative political party, also said that U.S. troops currently based in southern Japan should patronize the local sex industry more to help reduce rapes and other assaults.
Hashimoto told reporters on Monday that there wasn’t clear evidence that the Japanese military had coerced women to become what are euphemistically called “comfort women” before and during World War II.
“To maintain discipline in the military, it must have been necessary at that time,” Hashimoto said. “For soldiers who risked their lives in circumstances where bullets are flying around like rain and wind, if you want them to get some rest, a comfort women system was necessary. That’s clear to anyone.”
Historians say up to 200,000 women, mainly from the Korean Peninsula and China, were forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers in military brothels.
China’s Foreign Ministry criticized the mayor’s comments and saw them as further evidence of a rightward drift in Japanese politics under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“We are appalled and indignant about the Japanese politician’s comments boldly challenging humanity and historical justice,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily media briefing. “The way they treat the past will determine the way Japan walks toward the future. On what choice Japan will make, the Asian neighbors and the international community will wait and see.”
Asked about a photo of Abe posing in a fighter jet with the number 731 – the number of a notorious, secret Japanese unit that performed chemical and biological experiments on Chinese in World War II – Hong again urged Japan not to whitewash history so as to improve relations with countries that suffered under Japanese occupation.
“There is a mountain of definitive iron-hard evidence for the crimes they committed in the Second World War. We hope Japan will face and contemplate their history of aggression and treat it correctly,” Hong said.
Abe posed, thumbs up, in the aircraft during a weekend visit to northeastern Japan.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry expressed disappointment over what it called a senior Japanese official’s serious lack of historical understanding and respect for women’s rights. It asked Japan’s leaders to reflect on their country’s imperial past, including grave human rights violations, and correct anachronistic historical views.
Hashimoto said he recently visited Okinawa in southern Japan and told the U.S. commander there “to make better use of the sex industry.”
“He froze, and then with a wry smile said that is off-limits for the U.S. military,” he said.
“I told him that there are problems because of such formalities,” Hashimoto said, explaining that he was not referring to illegal prostitution but to places operating within the law. “If you don’t make use of those places you cannot properly control the sexual energy of those tough guys.”
Calls to the after-hours number for U.S. Forces in Japan were not answered.
Hashimoto’s comments came amid continuing criticism of Abe’s earlier pledges to revise Japan’s past apologies for wartime atrocities. Before he took office in December, Abe had advocated revising a 1993 statement by then Prime Minister Yohei Kono acknowledging and expressing remorse for the suffering caused to the sexual slaves of Japanese troops.
Abe has acknowledged “comfort women” existed but has denied they were coerced into prostitution, citing a lack of official evidence.
Recently, top officials in Abe’s government have appeared to backpedal on suggestions the government might revise those apologies, apparently hoping to ease tensions with South Korea and China and address U.S. concerns about Abe’s nationalist agenda.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga repeated the previous government position and said those women went through unbearable pain.
“The stance of the Japanese government on the comfort women issue is well known. They have suffered unspeakably painful experiences. The Abe Cabinet has the same sentiments as past Cabinets,” he said.
Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura said Hashimoto’s remark was unhelpful given the criticism Japan faces from neighboring countries and the U.S. over its interpretation of history.
“A series of remarks related to our interpretation of (wartime) history have been already misunderstood. In that sense, Mr. Hashimoto’s remark came at a bad time,” Shimomura told reporters. “I wonder if there is any positive meaning to intentionally make such remarks at this particular moment.”
Hashimoto, 43, is co-head of the newly formed Japan Restoration Party with former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, who is a strident nationalist.
Sakihito Ozawa, the party’s parliamentary affairs chairman, said he believed Hashimoto’s remarks reflected his personal views, but he expressed concerns about possible repercussions.
“We should ask his real intentions and stop this at some point,” he said.
*******
Readers: My heart feels heavy today. Sometimes the plight of women and girls feels like a never ending fight with the odds against us. I just don’t understand how men (not all) can feel so little for women. These are your mothers who gave birth to you – without women you would not exist. Where is the love?
Thanks for reading and being here with me. I HOPE to catch up with all of you over the weekend. It’s Friday – Blog me.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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May 17th, 2013 at 10:02 am
Michelle, I couldn’t be in more agreement.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:16 am
Protect Your Pancreas!
This crucial gland can be damaged by certain drugs, infections and more.
Pancreatitis is a condition that most people associate with heavy drinking.
Facts not widely known:
Nearly two-thirds of the pancreatitis cases in the US may be caused by using certain prescription medications, including antibiotics, blood pressure drugs and antidepressants…or by having other conditions, especially gallstones…high triglycerides (a type of blood fat)…infection (such as mumps, herpes or food poisoning)…or autoimmune disease (such as lupus or Sjögren’s syndrome).
Trauma that damages the pancreas also can lead to pancreatitis.
Why this is important: Pancreatitis is not only painful but also associated with an increased risk for pancreatic cancer. Even if you don’t have pancreatitis now, you still want to do everything you can to avoid the condition.
Fortunately, if you do develop pancreatitis, the simple steps described in this article will help prevent attacks…
THE DANGER OF INFLAMMATION
When the pancreas gets inflamed, digestive enzymes that normally travel from the pancreas to the small intestine get trapped. These enzymes, which are potent enough to digest food in the stomach, start “digesting” the pancreas itself.
Result:
Tissue damage and intense pain. With treatment, attacks due to acute pancreatitis usually subside within about one week.
However, about 20% of patients who suffer acute pancreatitis go on to develop chronic pancreatitis, in which lingering inflammation may cause extensive damage and scarring.
RED FLAGS
Most patients with acute pancreatitis experience sharp pains in the upper-left part of the abdomen, and the pain may extend all the way to the back.
The pain, which usually is accompanied by nausea and/or vomiting, may be mild initially but almost always gets more severe over a period of hours.
With chronic pancreatitis, flare-ups can be mild. But you’ll probably lose weight, get occasional indigestion and have pale or clay-colored stools—all due to impaired digestion from a reduced supply of pancreatic enzymes.
GETTING THE RIGHT CARE
The pain of acute pancreatitis is very intense, so you will probably need to be hospitalized during an attack. Your doctor will give you medications for pain and probably administer IV fluids to keep you hydrated.
Because the pain worsens after eating, people often stop eating and drinking during a pancreatitis attack.
Your doctor will then focus on what’s causing the pancreatitis. For example, you may need surgery to remove gallstones or the gallbladder.
Gallstones can cause reflux of bile into the pancreas, producing inflammation. Other treatments might include antibiotics that don’t damage the pancreas to treat infection…or treating an alcohol addiction.
The conditions that cause pancreatitis are easily diagnosed with blood tests, stool tests to check for proper digestion/absorption of nutrients and/or imaging tests, such as ultrasound or a CT or MRI scan, to detect pancreatic inflammation, gallstones and blockages.
THE NEXT STEP
Doctors routinely review medications in people who have been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. In some cases, discontinuing a “problem” medication (see box on next page) will eliminate the risk for future flare-ups.
Lifestyle changes and other self-care measures can help you reduce discomfort and prevent future attacks. Steps to follow…
Use the right painkiller. Ibuprofen (Motrin) and aspirin are among the best choices. Do not take acetaminophen (Tylenol). People with pancreatitis are at greater risk for liver damage, which can occur in anyone who takes acetaminophen.
Don’t drink.
You’ll want to avoid alcohol if you’ve been diagnosed with pancreatitis. It can trigger flare-ups even if the initial inflammation wasn’t caused by alcohol.
Limit dietary fat.
It’s harder for the body to digest fat than the carbohydrates and protein in foods such as legumes, fresh vegetables and whole grains.
In addition to fast food and most desserts, foods that are relatively high in fat include meats, eggs and whole-fat dairy products.
Eat frequent, small meals. Large meals stress the pancreas.
I advise patients with pancreatitis to eat six or eight times a day instead of the traditional three daily meals.
Try supplemental enzymes.
They seem to ease symptoms in some patients with acute or chronic pancreatitis. Products such as Nature’s Life Pancreatin or Pancreatic Enzyme Formula haven’t been proven to help, but they’re worth a try if you’re having trouble with digestion and/or abdominal pain.
Get a lipid test.
For reasons that aren’t clear, some pancreatitis cases are caused by very high triglycerides (above 1,000 mg/dL in a blood test). If you test high, you can lower triglycerides with exercise, weight loss, fish-oil supplements and a diet that’s low in saturated fat.
Medications, including niacin or a fibrate drug, such as gemfibrozil (Lopid), also may be needed if your triglycerides are this high.
DRUGS THAT CAN HARM YOUR PANCREAS
The following are among the frequently prescribed drugs that may trigger pancreatitis…*
• Antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), azithromycin (Zmax) and demeclocycline (Declomycin).
• Antidepressants such as escitalopram (Lexapro) and bupropion (Wellbutrin).
• Blood pressure drugs such as enalapril (Vasotec), amlodipine (Norvasc) and metolazone (Zaroxolyn).
• Cholesterol drugs such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) and gemfibrozil (Lopid).
• Heartburn drugs such as omeprazole (Prilosec) and cimetidine (Tagamet).
To check other drugs, go to the FDA Web site, http://www.FDA.gov/drugs.
*Do not discontinue any drug without consulting your doctor.
Source: Jerry R. Balentine, DO, chief medical officer and executive vice president of St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City, where he practices emergency medicine.
He also is a professor of emergency medicine at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, New York, and is the medical editor of The New York Medical Journal, a quarterly online publication, http://www.NewYorkMedicalJournal.org.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:20 am
The biggest banks in the country—the ones that wrecked our economy and cost millions of Americans their jobs—pay next to nothing on the debt they owe the government, while students pay nine times as much. That isn’t right.
That’s why I’ve introduced the Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act to let students take advantage of the same low rates offered to banks for one year while Congress finds a fair, long-term solution on student loan interest rates.
Will you add your voice in support of giving students the same deal as big banks? Click here to sign the petition.
The interest rate on federal subsidized Stafford student loans is set to increase from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1st. If Congress doesn’t act soon, millions of college students will see their student loan payments jump.
Some argue that it’s too expensive to keep government loans at low interest rates, but the federal government makes low interest loans all the time—just not to everyone. Big banks can borrow money through the Federal Reserve discount window at a rate of about 0.75%.
That’s why I started a petition on MoveOn’s petition site which says:
Wall Street banks—the ones that wrecked our economy—should not be getting a better interest rate on their government loans than young people trying to go to college.
Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.
Unlike the big banks, students don’t have armies of lobbyists and lawyers. But they do have us.
Let’s do what’s right and bank on students.
Thanks!
–Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator
May 17th, 2013 at 11:30 am
It seems to escape these Japanese defenders of the system of women-prostitutes as part of miltary presence that this is considered uncivilised outside Japan or in other words criminal.
They think the assembly of a group of men who serve together makes it logic that there are prostitutes for their sexual needs. Starting with that assumption the question of criminality only begins when the force used to recruit or keep these women is considered criminal.
In some Japanese minds (I cannot say what proportion of the population, but they present themselves in this conversation) the occupation by Japan of their neighbouring countries was not criminal or done in a criminal way.
They therefore cannot see that this practice during those occupations is (in their concept of normal sexual relations) wrong. They can even defend it and propose it to others.
Fascism in Japan was indeed different from that in Germany in its cultural background. It still is.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:32 am
I think his comments are reprehensible and not helpful in building stronger relations with other Asian countries that felt victimized by Japan in WWII. If “comfort women” were so necessary to Japan’s army and so perfectly reasonable, can he explain why they didn’t just use Japanese women instead of other Asian groups? Why didn’t they just have the guys bring their wives and girlfriends along to provide comfort, then, if there’s nothing wrong with it?
May 17th, 2013 at 11:46 am
2013年5月9日 朝日新聞
ヘイトスピーチ「憂慮に堪えない」 谷垣法相
http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0509/TKY201305090289.html
「在日特権を許さない市民の会」（在特会）などの団体が「朝鮮人を殺せ」と連呼するヘイトスピーチ（憎悪表現）デモを繰り返している問題が、９日の参院法務委員会でとり上げられた。谷垣禎一法相は「憂慮に堪えない。品格ある国家という方向に真っ向から反する」と語った。
民主党の有田芳生氏の質問に答えた。今後の対応については「表現の自由との関係で、誠に悩ましい。人種差別感情をあおるものになるのか、注視してゆきたい」と述べるにとどめた。
差別的なデモが許可されていることについて、警察庁は「公安条例では、デモの主張が粗野、乱暴だという理由では不許可にできない。具体的な違法行為があれば対処する」とした。
May 17th, 2013 at 11:48 am
We need to focus, focus, focus on getting the big money out of politics. Representative Ted Deutch and Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill (The SADA) that would create a constitutional amendment stating, essentially, that money is not protected speech and corporations are not persons. Support of that bill should be a litmus test for any candidate.
Stop cursing the defective products and fix the machine that is producing them.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:50 am
There’s only one real solution – tax the rich.
Make the rich pay the same rates they paid during the Eisenhower era. Let’s also get rid of all the tax breaks the rich enjoyed.
The rich will still have plenty of money – but they’ll have less income to play politics. We also need to reform 501(c)4′s laws. Make them more transparent and pass the DISCLOSE and Follow the Money Act.
I’d also suggest investigating some of the chief justices for conflict-of-interests, especially when Clarence Thomas’ wife got $ 680,000 from the Koch Brothers, courtesy of the Heritage Foundation.
The only way to save democracy is to prevent wealth and power from accumulating in the hand of the few. That incidentally happened in the bad old USSR, (Ever hear of the Nomenklatura?) And look at the results.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:52 am
It is surprising and somewhat positive that he says something at all. As Debito says, the circumstances make it look like he was backed into a corner and wouldn’t have said anything if not asked for.
The specific video of the so called “Kawaiihitler” asking for a “Nanking-like genocide” of the Koreans in Tsuruhashi/Osaka making the rounds on YouTube (with translation) seems to have helped as a form of Gai-Atsu.
Embarrassing things are usually swept under the rug in record time by the Japanese (I hope that’s not what Abe means by “the Japanese way”, but I fear he does), but the internet makes it harder to do so and is a global medium.
Having a YouTube channel that manages to show the full extent of right-wing agitation and discriminatory behaviour would go a long way to pressure Japan into improving.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:53 am
Abe might now say that those who are disseminating this kind of hate speech “do not represent the Japanese people”. Yet these right-wing haters are precisely Abe’s support base.
May 17th, 2013 at 11:57 am
Japan’s PM Abe criticizes rise of hate speech in country
Japan Daily Press, posted on MAY 8, 2013 by JOHN HOFILENA, courtesy of JK
http://japandailypress.com/japans-pm-abe-criticizes-rise-of-hate-speech-in-country-0828468
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his concern on the increase of hate speech in the country in an Upper House Budget Committee session on May 7. The premier criticized the hate-mongering that has become rampant on the internet and in specific areas around the nation, adding that the hate these people show is dishonoring Japan.
“It is truly regrettable that there are words and actions that target certain countries and races,” Abe was quoted as saying. This was the prime minister’s response to a question from Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Kan Suzuki, who pointed out that demonstrations in the Koreatowns of Tokyo’s Shin-Okubo district and Osaka’s Tsuruhashi district have been marred by such vitriol and race-specific hate. Protesters have been shouting, “Kill the Koreans”, or that “Koreans are cockroaches”, and “Koreans go home, you do not belong here!” Abe called on the Japanese people to show the courtesy that has been the trademark of the nation. “I believe that the Japanese respect harmony and should not be people who exclude others,” Abe said. “The Japanese way of thinking is to behave politely and to be generous and modest at any time,” he added.
Abe himself has been caught in recent issues where his specific words have caused angry reactions from South Korea and China. This is with regards to his views about Japan’s role in World War II, saying that the term “aggressor” can be defined in different ways from different points of view. South Korea has specifically made strong diplomatic reactions, asking Japan to apologize and the international community to exert pressure for Abe to retract what he said.
Abe concluded that those who are spreading hate speech – online or offline – do not represent the Japanese people. He also specifically said that it was his intention to restrict hateful comments posted on his official Facebook page. “It’s completely wrong to put others down and feel as if we are superior,” he said. “Such acts dishonor ourselves.”
May 17th, 2013 at 12:04 pm
Michelle, here in Japan we are constantly harassed by the Netouyu. The are informal army of young, hyper-nationalist Japanese Web users who tend to descend on any article — or person — they perceive as critical of Japan.
If they dislike you they send death threats and hound your employers, previous employers and even the local politicians who oversee your employers.
They are worst than the Gestapo. They force most Japanese to tow the nationalistic line.
May 17th, 2013 at 12:07 pm
Michelle, Japan is a very racist place. We use such slang terms as “bakachon camera.” The phrase, which translates as “idiot Korean camera,” is meant to refer to disposable cameras so easy to use that even an idiot or a Korean could do it.
There is so much discrimination between Japanese groups. People from Okinawa, where I was born are sometimes looked down upon by other Japanese.
In the past we were treated as second-class citizens.
May 17th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
Michelle, there is a lot of blame to go around for Japan’s attitude. Most of it belongs to Japan, of course. But as with the rest of the problems in the world, one need not look far to find the hand of white men behind racism and evil.
Nationalism is not unique to Japan, but it is strong there, tinged with the insecurity of a once-powerful nation on the decline and with the humiliation of defeat and American occupation at the end of World War II.
Japan’s national constitution, which declares the country’s commitment to pacifism and thus implicitly maintains its reliance on the United States, was in some ways pressed on the country by the American military government that ruled it for several years. The Americans, rather than Japan’s own excesses, make an easy culprit for the country’s lowered global status.
That history is still raw in Japan, where nationalism and resentment of perceived American control often go hand-in-hand.
May 17th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
America’s Constitution does not make a specific distinction based on race or nationality. This means that interpretation of constitution is solely based on the framers’ minds.
It’s totally up to the legislative and legal branches that will make or break the tradition or interpret the meaning differently from the predecessors. Sure, the Constitution does not say exactly what they quoted…, but does it also mean Robert, Rt’s opponents are correct in suggesting that America’s Fundamental Law also guarantees the rights of all citizens–despite the issue of uncertainty with legal powers to protect their equal rights.
May 17th, 2013 at 12:35 pm
The GOP created false evidence in an effort to legitimize their talking point? How shocking.
May 17th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
ネトウヨ
[netouyo] noun. This is a new word, formed through a combination of the Japanese word for ‘Internet’, インターネット(intaanetto) and ‘right wing’ 右翼 (uyoku).
Both of these words are the abbreviated to form ネトウヨ (netouyo). It refers to the ‘internet right-wing’, that is those netizens who write extremely right wing comments on news articles and online blogs. The netouyo only make up a tiny proportion of Japanese internet users.
May 17th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
We should learn more about how wars could make people nasty. Japan abused women in her own country and other Asian countries during WW2. So did South Koreans in Vietnam (see Lai Dai Han in Wikipedia. ) I hope we will never repeat the same history.
May 17th, 2013 at 12:52 pm
The German army kidnaped women.—–1
The Japanese army made “Ianjyo” , but didn’t kidnap except a few criminal case.
“Ianjo” means place of Ianfu(comfort woman).
The Korean army made “Ianjyo” , but didn’t kidnap except a few criminal case.—–2
The U.N. army used “Ianjyo” made by the South Korean Government in Korean War.—–3
The American army used “Ianjyo” made by the South Korean Government in Korean War.—–4
the American army used “Ianjyo” made by Occupied Japanese Government.—–5
(1
http://web.archive.org/web/20071219172749/http://www.wdr.de/tv/dokumentation/frauen_als_beute.html
(2
http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/view/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0000067241&PAGE_CD=
(3
http://h21.hani.co.kr/arti/cover/cover_general/30838.html
(4
http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/show.asp?idx=90853
(5
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/25/AR2007042501801.html
May 17th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
You USA haters say the United States did not butcher ~30,000,000 people in extremely sadistic, disgusting ways.
May 17th, 2013 at 12:58 pm
An ugly side of Japan still exists today. There is no honor here, one way or the other. However, the US honor has fallen to these low depths today. This includes the torture and assassination of human beings, which Japan and other countries were notorious for committing during WWII.
Japanese history and true honor are oxymorons, their conduct in history has been more a function of brainwashing. And for a lesson for us all, no country is immune to such conduct.
May 17th, 2013 at 12:59 pm
I agree with what MaTsuGaMi said.
What he meant is not bad at all. In Japanese intellectual and political society, there are strong understanding that there were no Japanese slavery and women-forced prostitute organisations in WW2, but some legal business to sell sexual activities.
Many rogues of politicians of China and South Korea have accused Japan to get great deal of money as the solatium. And the worst parts were that many Japanese top politicians said sorry for them without any evidence to show slavery prostitutions and humiliated Japan over and over.
Many young people have thought that we have to change those terrible diplomacy and attitude to our history.
May 17th, 2013 at 1:01 pm
You people work hard to slander the Imperial Japanese army, “comfort women” were not kidnapped by Imperial Japanese soldiers. Below photos are News paper Advertisement for Recruiting of “Confort Women” in Korea. They tried to recrute for prostitutes only.
May 17th, 2013 at 1:03 pm
I sorry to say Helen#15. US law guaranteed OTWs and women nothing. If it did, why was it necessary to amend the Constitution by adding the 13th, 14, 15, and the 19th Amendments?
May 17th, 2013 at 1:05 pm
JO you are so disgusting….. yeah japan advertised for rectuiting women. but Nobody applied for it and then japan decided to both kidnap and deceive women to make them sex slaves.
That can’t be the evidence at all. If your insistence can be the evidence of innocence. Then every man should make advertisements for recruiting confort women, instead of paying for prostitutes.
May 17th, 2013 at 1:07 pm
Hello Mahar
Then please read below document.
http://www.exordio.com/1939-1945/codex/Documentos/report-49-USA-orig.html
It is investigation report of “Confort Women” by U.S. Army Forces. There are no kidnaped Korea women.
May 17th, 2013 at 1:09 pm
JO, Didn’t you read it?? That’s just what japanese prisoners said. I mean It’s only the insistence of japanese prisoners. do you think this could be the evidence?? why don’t you find the official Position of US gov??
May 17th, 2013 at 1:09 pm
No matter what words are used japan did something very disgraceful in terms of foreign women in forcing tehm into the role of sex slaves to live in brothels. Current defenders are only concerned about national face saving and nothing about the victims.
The excuses and explanations stink and they know it as the obvious anger comes out in their words. You can be proud of your heritage and be ashamed of what some of your people did in war time. your pride got you two nukes in world war two and the harshest military restrictions since the end of that war.
you talk as if you have never learned your lesson and you wonder why your Asian neighbors don’t like you.
May 17th, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Hi there, I’m Japanese and I want to explain to you American what Mr.Hashimoto meant.
The crime of Japanese military in WW2 was not the rape, but the establishment and management of brothels by military.
The brothels ware made and utilized in order to privent soldiers from raping women in conquered places. It was Japanese military’s will.
Hashimoto and Japanese military at the time thinks that it is less worse than raping women to hire prostitutes, who basically were not against their will to be engaged, and ware paid for their confort work.
Though difference between rape and managed prostitution may not has so much importance, Hashimoto and other right-wing people in japan think the difference is so crucial for Japanese honor, because South Korean claim that Japanese military compeled women to be engaged in comfort work.
Japanese right-wings think the enforcement is false because of No existance of evidence. No enforcement means a contract which is not serious crime. (Meanwhile, Korean old women who were before confort women say enforcement exist. And it is the point that makes this problem difficult and confused.)
This minor argumant makes them, right-wings, looks like assarting that Japan was not evil in WW2 at all, but it is misunderstanding. They just ask for the right understandings about no enforcement in recruiting by military.
I hope you all American know that we, almost of japanese, never justify the agression to China and Korea or the other countries.
Thank you.
May 17th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Another mayor of a major Japanese city came up with outrageous comments.
That’s what’s most telling about Japan.
I watch the news direct from Japan sometimes. It is very biased, and full of right wing excuses for war. Most are more cleverly disguised.
This sounds an ominous bell. It is not the rural Japanese who are most right wing because of some personal life experiences passed down from their ancestors.
The Japanese media can be quite cleverly biased, many times more clever than Fox news, but sometimes equally “faux”. So people from major cities, unlike in most countries, are more likely to become “radicalized”. I hope that Huffington Post will make a point in providing a counterpoint to the “faux” news to Japanese media.
May 17th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
The Japanese weren’t the only ones who did this kind of thing in WWII…the atrocities by the Russians were legion.
May 17th, 2013 at 1:15 pm
MaTsu, Beyond killing and exploiting populations, both asian and european alike in their conquering of East Asia by the Japanese there was no respect for human rights.
Total dedication to the emperor and the government that ruled in his name was all that counted.
In that time in the west another fascist power was waging war in the western part of the world. In both countries and the countries they ruled human life was subject to the fascists will and for others than their masterrace there were no rights. It is as simple as that. Speaking of voluntary prostitution is clearly demonstrating that you devide people into two categories: those that rule and those who serve. All those that serve must be happy they can live under the rule of the superior race.
Docility still seems to play a big role in Japanese society. Japanese today cannot expect other peoples to abide with that.
Feeling shame is not showing weakness, but admitting you are human. It is time Japanese can cope with that and stop feeling superior in order to be proud of themselves. They can be proud and equal to all humanity!
May 17th, 2013 at 1:15 pm
Yes, ET, But the Russians do not make an organized effort to whitewash the past.
The Czar is long gone.
Worship of Lenin is non-existent.
In Japan, however, they still worship the single most sacred Shinto Shrine, which honors all the Kamikaze pilots who bombed Pearl Harbor, as well as class I war criminals from WWII.
Above all, the Japanese Emperor, who ordered the invasion, colonization, and ravaging of Asian countries that lasted for decades, many times longer than what Hitler did in Europe, from the SAME line of royalty, is still supreme.
The culture of blind obedience can be attractive to us sometimes because they appear polite, they line up neatly for hours after disasters without a whisper of complaint, return lost items. However, the same blind obedience also cause too many of them to vote for dangerous warmongering demagogues as political leaders.
That’s why if the international community do not do the best to stop Japanese PM Abe’s effort to change the Constitution to allow easy waging of war– he wants that to require only over 50% of the vote! That’s dangerous when the young, and upcoming political leaders are becoming more like this Osaka Mayor.
May 17th, 2013 at 1:30 pm
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954) (USSC+)
347 U.S. 483
Argued December 9, 1952
Reargued December 8, 1953
Decided May 17, 1954
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS*
Syllabus
Segregation of white and Negro children in the public schools of a State solely on the basis of race, pursuant to state laws permitting or requiring such segregation, denies to Negro children the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment — even though the physical facilities and other “tangible” factors of white and Negro schools may be equal
May 17th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
Just another example of the claim that “We the people” was just another example of white boy hypocrisy.
May 17th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Anonymous #34, thank you for remembering Brown v. Board of Education today.
How many remember that on this date, in 1980, the 26th Anniversary of that decision, one of the worst race riots in United States history broke out in the black neighborhoods of Overtown and Liberty City in Miami, following the acquittal of four Miami-Dade Police officers in the death of Arthur McDuffie (12/3/46 – 12/21/79).
McDuffie, an African-American, died from injuries sustained at the hands of four white officers trying to arrest him after a high-speed chase. The officers were tried and acquitted for manslaughter and evidence tampering, among other charges.
The verdict resulted in protesters going into the Miami streets; approximately 5,000 people attended a protest at the Downtown Miami Metro Justice Building. By 6:00 pm, the protest had turned into a riot; three people were killed and at least 23 injured, with several of those in critical condition. Governor Bob Graham ordered 500 National Guard troops into the area, doubling their number the next day. Twelve more people were killed and 165 were injured as violence spread to other sections of the city. By the third day, the violence declined as the city imposed an 8 pm to 6 am curfew, coupled with a temporary ban on the sale of firearms and liquor. Graham sent in an additional 2,500 National Guardsmen to the 1,000 already in the city.
On May 22, the former defendant Michael Watts was rushed to the hospital. He had tried to commit suicide by breathing carbon monoxide. The police said his attempt was related to a romantic breakup and not his trial.
The federal government declared Miami a disaster area, and authorized the release of funds to allow the city to rebuild. The Miami Fraternal Order of Police had threatened a walkout unless the officers were reinstated. The following day, the five officers who had been acquitted were reinstated in their jobs.
Days after the verdict, the U.S. Justice Department said it would seek indictments of the policemen for federal civil rights violations. On July 28, 1980, a federal grand jury indicted Charles Veverka, despite his having received immunity from the original charges filed by the state during the first trial.
The federal trial was held in San Antonio, Texas, after Atlanta and New Orleans asked that it be moved from their venues due to its controversial racial aspects. Journalists referred to the case as “The Trial That Nobody Wants.”
On December 17, Veverka was acquitted in the week-long trial after the jury deliberated for more than 16 hours. Minor incidents of violence were reported in Miami after the verdict was announced.
On November 17, 1981, Dade County commissioners agreed to a $1.1 million settlement with McDuffie’s family in exchange for their dropping a $25 million civil lawsuit against the county. Of that amount, the family’s legal team received $483,833, while McDuffie’s two children each received $202,500, and his mother, $67,500.
As a society, we have learned nothing. Sadly, America is still a land of white “JustUs” justice.
/SB
May 17th, 2013 at 7:07 pm
/SB fanned and faved
May 18th, 2013 at 8:50 am
It amazes me that the American people give no uproar to the fact that one of her greatest allies in the middle east, Saudi Arabia, has passed a law that allows 10 year old girls to be wed, but the people would rather discuss umbrellas…what a sick “advanced” society.
May 18th, 2013 at 8:50 am
oh, here is the link – http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/329317
May 18th, 2013 at 8:55 am
Republican Texas judge orders lesbian couple to live apart or lose children
http://ow.ly/la9bC
May 18th, 2013 at 9:44 am
#38:
Sorry, but your question is not that deep. If you asked the question right you would have your own answer. Let me help you. If you stated it this way:
It amazes me that the white americans give no uproar to the fact…….
Now is that better? The truth is most everyone else in the country cares. White people care only for maintaining their Affirmative Action Beneficiary status.
The privilege for being white in America is their chief interest. That has been so from the beginning of this country and it has not diminished.